Halo 5: Hunters
by Shadythief
Summary: A Galaxy in chaos. Human colonies disappearing without a trace, all out civil war about to begin. A manhunt for a savior of the Galaxy. With the absence of previous heroes, new blood will have to fill the shoes of those now gone. Will these new soldiers measure up to the once great heroes of the past? A continuation of Halo 4: Past is Prologue.
1. Prologue

**Hey all! This is going to be my fresh, new take on the Halo 5 story, with some metroid seasoning thrown into the mix. Hopefully, I can tell a better story than the one we got, and if not...screw it, I'm doing it anyway.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Prologue

" _And turning to our top story tonight, we finally have word on the massive attack on an Office of Naval Intelligence facility based in Sydney, Australia. As we've reported several days ago, the facility came under fire from a previously unknown assailant, causing massive damage and killing staff. The damages add up in the trillions, and the lives of soldiers, scientists and reception staff who died that tragic day, are priceless. We go now to the live interview, explaining more on this tragic event."_

 _The scene changes, now showing a press conference in an unstated area. Multiple cameras and reporters all face the small stage, on which an ONI spokesperson stands behind a podium. He taps the mic, before holding it to his lips and sighing._

" _I was there, that day. It had been like any day in the office. I didn't realize it would be one of the most horrifying days of my life…"_

 _He stops, choking up. He swallows, eyes reddened, before continuing._

" _This attack was a disgusting fear tactic by the assailant. Unprovoked, unneeded. We could only watch as they wrought havoc upon us. The soldiers…the soldiers brave enough to stand up and fight bought us our lives, with their own…"_

 _He looks directly into the camera, his face now showing resolve._

" _This was an attack against humanity, not just ONI. And that is why, starting from this moment, we will begin a man hunt for this person. They need to be brought in and face justice. Because we aren't like them. We aren't cold blooded killers like they are. Like she is."_

" _If you're listening to this right now, then know that we are coming for you, Samus Aran."_

* * *

The thick, green forest spread as far as the eye could see. The tall tree's stretched up into the sky, trying to soak in light through the layer of gray clouds. The rain trickled down into the undergrowth below, the sounds of the forest drowned out. Vines clung to branches for dear life, and the various small woodland creatures hid from the downpour. Amongst all of this deep green and brown stood out a figure of bright orange.

Samus trudged through the forest floor, being mindful not to step on any undeserving creature. She glanced up at her HUD, noting that her waypoint was growing closer. She forged ahead, the rain sliding off her smooth armor, leaving droplets on her visor. She glanced up, trying to see any light. But the sky itself was gray, leaving a grim overcast on the woodland floor. She continued moving through the forest, as silent as a ghost, for what felt like hours. The landscape blurred together, and Samus was certain that without her HUD, she would be hopelessly lost.

So deep was the green of the forest, that she almost walked into the massive obstacle in her path. Stretching well above the canopy of the trees, the massive object was clearly not natural. Vines had overtaken its form, making it appear as a massive green mountain from the outside. But Samus knew better.

Placing a hand on the mossy exterior, she wiped her hand side to side, clearing the vegetation away. What was exposed underneath was dull gray, and solid. Metal. A metal alloy she was very familiar with…

She walked around the outside of the huge object, looking for a certain section. Sure enough, she found what she was looking for. A slightly indented section, roughly the size of a doorway. She cleared the vines away, revealing a set of metal doors. A small panel lit up, with nine holographic buttons.

"Come on…" She muttered to herself, entering in five commands. More specifically, they were numbers. One-Three-Five-Seven-Six.

An automated voice played out, sounding distorted from over a hundred thousand years of no use. "Identity confirmed. Welcome aboard the G.F.S Aegis, Samus Aran."

The doors slid open, for the first time since the Halo array fired. Looking around the forest once more, Samus sighed, before walking into the large, Federation ship. The corridor inside was dark, though lights flickered on shorty after she entered. The doors slid closed behind her, preventing anyone, or anything else, from entering. She could hear the sounds of systems booting up, various devices powering on.

The noise of the rain was instantly drowned out, replaced by the low hum of the Aegis. She moved down the halls, half expecting to see Federation Troopers walk past, giving her a friendly wave. But of course, that didn't happen. The ship was still, save for Samus herself. She made her way onto the bridge, near the front of the ship. Incredibly, the glass windows were still intact. The view on the other side was rock bed, however, confirming Samus's suspicions.

The ship had crashed, it's front colliding with the earthy ground long ago. Over time, the forest had grown around it and retaken the impact point that would likely have been lush forest land. Samus moved over to a large, flat table. It made Samus smile.

"Computer, bring up status reports of the various ship sections."

The table sprung to life, a small hologram copy of the ship appearing. Incredibly, this was the same technology that her ships command table used, only on a larger scale. A robotic voice began listing off reports.

" **Outer Hull; Damaged but functional. Weapon Systems; Online. Shielding; Online. Life Support; Online-"**

Samus smirked. She couldn't believe her luck. A near fully functional GFS ship, just as capable if not more so than any Forerunner technology. If the UNSC were to find this, it would have been a tremendous help to their cause, and the evolution of Humanity as a whole. Of course, that was before ONI…

She immediately thought about something else, refusing to think about that. She read up on the various reports that popped up on the holotable. One in particular caught her interest. Is was a manifold for the various weapons and armor stored aboard the ship. According to the charts, a lot of GFS standard as well as more experimental equipment was aboard.

"Computer, unlock main armory bay."

There was a pause.

" **Additional security clearance required. Your clearance does not grant you access to this area."**

"Override. Five/zero/zero one nine"

" **Override confirmed. Armory unlocked."**

She turned and made her way to the armory, which was only a short distance from the bridge. If a ship was ever boarded, the armory's position gave GFS officers a change to arm themselves properly. The armory doors were huge, sliding open at her approach. The inside was even bigger, the ceiling high above her. Along the walls and on racks in the middle, were various weapons. Energy weapons that put the Forerunners to shame, as well as gadgets and gizmos more advanced than anything the UNSC or Covenant had seen before.

As well as the weapons, armor bays still housed the suits from their pervious wearers. Various designs and versions of the standard GF troopers armor, which was miles ahead of even the latest in Mjolnir. Or was, anyway…

She pressed on, ignoring the thought. She moved through the armory, the lights and shiny walls creating a very white pallet. She stood out in her orange armor, but then she was used to that. She soon reached a section of the armory that had been sealed off. Radiation warnings were plastered all over the thick, vault like door. Samus could only guess why.

The door opened with a groan, as if it didn't want her in there. She slowly stepped inside. The lights in here did not work either, or there simply weren't any. She adjusted her visor, allowing her to see clearly in the dark. After reading the radiation warnings, she'd suspected what would be inside. Now, her suspicions were confirmed.

Phazon Enhancement Devices, or PED's lined the walls, accompanied by additional weapons and armor powered by Phazon. During the end of the Phazon war, the Federation had begun experimenting with the substance, finding new ways to combat both the Forerunners, and the ever pestilent Space Pirates. Clearly this had been the holding chamber for the devices, seeing as handling Phazon without special care would lead to death, or worse.

A glow caught her attention, at the end of the chamber. At first, she thought it was a trick of the light. The dark blue glow almost appeared to be enticing her, growing more powerful the closer she got. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt like throwing up once she realized what was inside.

Sealed within numerous see through chambers, and lined with various anti-radiation precautions, was a clear canister, no bigger than Samus's arm. The canister itself was harmless, but what was inside…it was impossible. But clearly, it wasn't. Somehow surviving the destruction of Phaaze, and the firing of the Halo array, was a canister of Phazon. The blue liquid crackled, the all too familiar sound of it's lightning like noises sending chills up Samus's spine. Quickly, she turned and exited the sealed compartment, ordering the ships computer to seal it away again, and only open under her orders.

She paused. What would she do? What could she do? After finding out this ship might be here, she'd set out to find it herself. She had expected a wreck, a hollow ruin. She was surprised to find an operable ship, pleasantly so, but the discovery of Phazon changed everything.

"This place must never be found…" She murmured, making her way to the ships exit.

Stepping back out into the forest, she walked/ran for her ship, set in a clearing not too far. She reached it a lot quicker than when she left, stepping up into the platform and into her ship.

"Computer, begin take off." She ordered, moving to her command table.

She felt the ship lift off, exiting the planet's atmosphere and entering space. She brought up a hologram of the planet in question, a plethora of emotions playing on her mind.

During the wars, Norian had been at the forefront of the Human war machine. Now, it was nothing more than a forest world, just waiting to be recolonized. That is, if Samus didn't have a say about it.

"Mark as a site of a Black hole on all UNSC databases." She asked the computer. It beeped, indicating it had done as asked.

Sighing, she relaxed her body. Moving over to her pilot's chair, she fell in. Her armor vanished, exposing the slim, blonde warrior. She rubbed her eyes, having slept rough for the past several days. That would happen when you were a UNSC fugitive.

"Computer, any anomalies I should know about?"

" **No additional anomalies detected in Human space."**

She frowned. The recent disturbances on the edge of human space had been bothering her, but she couldn't just waltz in and save the day like she used to. She'd probably be shot on sight. That said, she hadn't given up on Humanity, not yet. She'd find a way to help those colonists, she just needed to figure out how.

" **New Data; distress message on broadcast. Repeats every sixty seconds."**

Samus raised a brow. A distress signal? Out here? She was just beyond the borders of human known space, her last safe haven. Well, that and Sanghelios, but she wouldn't but Thel in that predicament. At least, not again. The message on the other hand intrigued her. It had to be an outer colony, one of many Humans had since begun to reclaim since the end of the Covenant war. Which meant, if she didn't wear her armor, she might not be recognized.

"Play the message."

The voice she heard was no human, that much was clear. The language was alien, and the voices depth was far too low for a human to make naturally. Brutes then? The Brutes had virtually been wiped out by the Sangheili during their crusade, so where…

" _I bare a message…from Aether."_

Aether? That was impossible, she thought to herself. She'd been to Aether since her awakening, the Luminoth were dead. Long extinct from the firing of the Halo array. And yet, she decided to check anyway. Pulling up the co-ordinates, she was further surprised to find out the transmission was indeed traveling from Aether, again on the fringes of human space.

The message continued. _"Luminoth A.I…detecting seismic activity…sending alert to the Galactic Federation."_

" _The Federation?"_ Samus thought. Of course, her ship was the only official Federation technology left, so the message must have been transmitted directly to her. But still, the whole situation was…odd. Why would this A.I only have contacted her now?

She thought on it further, sitting in silence. The Seismic activity described in the message was similar to other descriptions from the human colonies as well. Could it be possibly connected? Samus didn't have to think long to realize she didn't have much of a choice. Between her new found status with the UNSC, and her lack of resources, she couldn't take the chance to miss it.

With a sigh, she made up her mind. "I'm going to regret this…Computer, plot a course for the Dasha System. I'm retiring, wake me when we arrive."

" **Understood.** " It responded, the familiar vibration of the engines powering on as the ship began to speed away from the blue and green planet close by.

She remained sitting, her mind drifting elsewhere as the screen in front of her filled with the blur of stars as they sped through space. She didn't like working alone, not anymore. She had grown accustomed to working with others, from the UNSC marines who hailed her as a hero, to individuals like Lord Hood and Captain Lasky, she once again realized just how alone she really was.

Even Adam had vanished. She had managed to escape ONI and retrieve her ship, but she only realized he wasn't onboard after she was gone. She didn't know if he'd managed to flee through the extranet, or if ONI still held him, but she couldn't go back. She just couldn't.

Of course, she could always try and contact…him. The mere thought made her blood boil. He had promised her, as she lay on that hospital bed near death that they would stand beside each other no matter what happened. He had visited her near every day, more than anyone. Then one day he simply stopped coming. No warning, no communication. It was like he too had vanished. But he didn't come back. Not when ONI abducted her right out of the Infinities hospital. Not when they ran their perverse experiments on her, or when they tore her armor apart to try and learn its secrets. He never came back.

" _No, forget him."_ She thought sourly. _"He's not worth the effort of getting mad. That said, if I ever see him again…"_

She stopped her thoughts in their tracks. She refused to go down that line of thinking, no matter how much she might want too. She was no murderer, no matter what ONI and their propaganda said. She had to remind herself that.

She got out of her chair as the stars whizzed by, white blurs on an otherwise oily black canavs. She walked into her tiny excuse for a sleeping area, feeling drained. Not even bothering to remove her Zero Suit, she fell onto the small mattress. Her eyes fluttered shut as soon as she hit the pillows.

Her dreams were plagued by Phazon, Oni, and Super Soldiers.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

* * *

"Sir? You might want to take a look at this…"

Lasky glanced down at the holo table, the projection of a planet floating up to eye level. It didn't look to be anything special, and he certainly didn't recognize it. "What am I looking at Roland?"

Roland popped up on the table, his yellow hologram wearing its usual pilot's hat and furred jacket. He pointed to the planet, frown lines wrinkling his forehead. "This is an unidentified planet that's transmitting an open signal every minute. The transmissions alien."

Lasky blinked. "Like Covenant? Because I'm sure the Elites can handle their own problems."

"No, sir. It's a species called Luminoth, un-encountered by man."

Now it was Lasky's turn to frown. It certainly sounded alien and yet, he swore he'd heard that word before. Where though…

"The species was found in the information given by Samus Aran, sir," Roland said, lips drawn thin.

" _That's it."_ Lasky thought to himself. _"She told me about them herself, right…"_

Then it clicked what Roland was suggesting. "You think she's there now?"

"A guess." He said. "But a good one. And she is a wanted criminal sir. If we have a lead on her, we have to follow it."

Lasky hesitated. "It could be a goose chase. What if we arrive and nothings there? It sounds like a waste of time."

"Sir."

"Oh come on Roland, it's not-"

"Captain."

Lasky sighed, pinching his nose. He knew they had to go after her if they suspected she was there. ONI had been very adamant that Samus was enemy number one, and if found, she had to be terminated. Lasky found it suspicious enough, but he wasn't in authority to question orders. If they found out he avoided capturing her on purpose, he could be…severely punished.

"How soon can we arrive?" He asked finally.

"Infinity can reach this part of space in a couple of hours," Roland said, seeming to sigh in relief.

"Fine, prep the ship for slip space," Lasky said. "And…tell palmer to get a team ready. If she is there, she's not going to come quietly."

"Understood sir."

He blinked away, leaving Lasky alone at the holo table. He sighed, eyes running over the image of the planet as if he could find her himself, right now.

He'd warn her to run before it was too late.

* * *

Samus touched down on the very familiar terrain. It had been thousands of years since she had visited the planet Aether, and yet the landing sight looked identical to her first visit. Of course, that had been many lifetimes ago, when she still considered herself a savior…

Her ship opened up and she stepped out, her boots crunching on the dry brittle ground under her. A quick look around revealed it was safe, no enemies in sight or on radar. Still, she'd have to be careful. Her last visit to Aether had almost killed her, not to mention someone had to have activated that transmission. That someone was likely still around, and she didn't know if they could be friend or foe. These days, it was better to assume a foe.

The source of the beacon was coming from below the main temple, so she started moving. She walked down the labyrinth of tunnels that made up this section of the temple grounds. Her steps echoed, no other noise save the faint howling of wind blowing in from the outside. The lack of sound, of anything, was putting her on edge. Aether had been ravaged by war, but there had still been life. Where was that life now?

She rounded a bend, emerging from a tunnel into the outside of the grounds. In the distance loomed the main temple, where she had met the defacto leader of the Luminoth U-mos. U-mos had helped her defeat the vile Ing and save Aether from a cruel fate. She had kept in touch with the alien since, checking on the species recovery. Once the war with the Forerunners had broken out however, they had lost touch, and Samus had assumed the worst.

It was well known the Forerunners didn't take kindly to alien life that could challenge them. They might have claimed peace, but it was peace at a gunpoint. The Chozo, then the Humans had all threatened the Forerunners by existing, and while the Chozo had simply vanished, they hadn't been afraid to show force to humanity. Samus didn't have to guess at what had happened to the Luminoth. She could almost picture it, U-mos defying their words and rallying his people, only to he wiped out just as his kind recovered. The thought made her blood boil, her hand's clench. She had worked with the Forerunners in the end, but she'd hated almost every single one of them.

An opening led her into where a Federation ship had once sat, the grounds littered with the corpses of fallen Troopers who had fallen to the Ing. Time had erased all that however, as now the clearing was empty save for the Luminoth door that guarded the entry to Sanctuary Fortress. She still had not encountered any wildlife, not even small fauna, and her unease increased. Shaking the feeling, she pressed on. She jumped up to a ledge, pulling herself up to the path toward the temple. Her suit may have been damaged, but she had to admit the lightness of it was a bonus. Happy thoughts.

After a process of climbing and traversing ruined Luminoth halls and structures, her goal came into sight. She jumped down off a ledge, now in a large arena. The temple loomed above, held in place by three massive structures she knew contained elevators. On her last visit, large groups of flying creatures had swarmed the skies, but now the sky was clear.

She looked around briefly for the source of the beacon. According to her ships scans, it had been coming from this area, but there was no device, no anything. Just an old grave of a planet. Had the beacon moved perhaps? Possible, she still didn't understand the nature of it.

"Ship, I need an update of the transmission." She said, waiting for the basic A.I in the ship to respond.

The response she got was not what she'd been expecting. " **Alert, multiple slip space ruptures detected."**

" _What?"_ She thought, barely having time to register the sentence before the sources of the rupture showed themselves. On cue, several Promethean Knights appeared, surrounding her. She whirled, arm cannon coming up at the ready. None of the Knights moved, instead remaining still as statues and staring at her.

" _What are they waiting for?"_

"You can shoot them if you like." A voice said. It sounded tinny, robotic. Strangely familiar. A figure stepped out from behind a Knight and steadily advanced toward her. The figure was wearing armor similar to the Knights but had subtle differences. There was alien design in the armor, Chozo design.

The figure looked just like her.

To be more precise, it was wearing the Prometheus armor, the same armor she'd used when fighting the Didact. The light emanating from it was now blue instead of orange, but it was definitely the suit. Samus was at a loss for words. What was happening here? Was this a trap?

The figure stopped just short of her, regarding her with a head tilt. She shuddered, recognizing that very gesture as her own. The voice had been hers too when she used the suits voice changer to mask her female voice. She was having flashbacks to Dark Samus, a being created from her own DNA. But Dark Samus had not imitated her, nor cared too. This was different, something else.

"I don't understand," The other Samus said slowly. "How does someone of your power, your regard even, get dragged so low?"

"What do you mean?" She asked it, finding her voice. The sound of her own voice comforted her, reminding her that this thing was just an imitation. She found strength in her voice, and her shock began to fade. She gestured her cannon at it, an obvious threat.

The being took no notice. "Attacking the UNSC, killing soldiers and civilian alike. How did the great Samus Aran end up in such a mess?"

"The news doesn't always tell the truth." She replied coolly, still trying to figure out her strategy. She could take out the Knights easily enough, but she didn't know the capacity of the other Samus. If it had access to all of the Prometheus Armor, she would be in extreme danger.

"Don't worry." It said as if reading her thoughts. "I know how you think, and no, I'm not going to kill you."

"Then what do you want?"

It ignored her, continuing. She noticed it stood as still as the Knights, only moving when it had too. Did that mean it was one of them, the suit come to life maybe?

"I know the truth is hard to find." It said. For some reason, she felt it was smiling. "For instance, most of those attacks you're being blamed for aren't you."

This caught her by surprise. "What do you know of the attacks?"

"That they are being caused by me." It said, hand coming to the hip. Another action eerily like her own. But its words were more chilling. "The reason a whole galaxy thinks you're a ruthless murderer is because of me."

"…why?" She finally said. She was getting sick of talking, just itching to open fire in this fake's face. Danger be damned, if it wouldn't start this fight she would.

"To get you out of the picture. I can't have you ruining my plans now can I?" It said. The fake Samus seemed to sense her intent, because it began walking back, still facing her. "Don't shoot just yet, you'll have plenty of time for that in a moment."

"You had better make sense soon, or I'll have to pry it from you." She warned, aiming her cannon.

It chuckled, identical to her own. "The beacon." It said. "You weren't the only one I wanted to lure out here. Have fun."

The Fake, along with the Knights all vanished. Samus could hear the sounds of jet engines as they departed. Pelicans. She cursed, making a break for the entryway. Short of climbing her way out, this was the only escape route. She heard the sounds of missiles leaving tubes, firing toward the arena. If she could just-

An explosion rocked the ancient archways above, causing a large chunk of rock to come crashing down. Samus had to dodge back to avoid being crushed, her suits shield flickering from several impacts. She crashed to the ground, pushing her back up off the ground. The explosion had removed her only escape route. Which meant she had nowhere to run.

Several Pelicans were now hovering over the arena. From their back hatches, armored soldiers fell out, landing gracefully on the ground as if taking a simple step. Spartans, though these were obviously the new kind, the IV's. Not as well trained or as effective, though definitely enemies that deserved attention.

Of course, she hated thinking of them as enemies. But she doubted this was going to end without someone dying. And she was not going to die today.

She counted their numbers at a couple dozen, plus any still in the Pelicans. She was at a clear disadvantage, and with her suit in this state, she couldn't take risks. One of the Spartans stepped forward. Wearing white pointed armor, she immediately recognized its owner. The Spartans helmet came off, revealing an angry scowl.

"Well well well." Sarah Palmer said, as if catching a child with chocolate. "Looks like you messed up. We heard your transmission lightyears away."

"Not my transmission." She shot back, her back to a wall. The Spartans had fanned out around her, slowly advancing. Palmer was in front, straight ahead. Samus began calculating a plan.

Palmer shook her head. "You've harmed a lot of people Aran, a lot of innocent people. How does that make you feel? Anything?"

"This isn't what it seems like Palmer."

"Don't be stupid." Palmer snarled. "Everyone's seen the holovids. There's evidence. Why else would you go into hiding?"

Samus didn't answer, surveying the soon to be battlefield. There were at least a Dozen Spartan IV's, Palmer included. Two Pelican Dropships hovered above, both had turrets trained on her. Anyone else would have seen this situation as hopeless. But this time on the run had taught Samus that she wasn't still here because of hope. Hope was foolish in the end.

Barely moving a muscle, she called on the ship with her internal voice coms. The ship's V.I beeped in acknowledgment. Samus now turned her attention to Palmer, the Spartans gun ready to fire.

"Sarah," Samus said suddenly, taking a step. "It doesn't have to go down like this. There are things going on here that-"

"No." Palmer interrupted, clicking the gun to reinforce her authority. Samus stopped moving. "Either you surrender and come with us, or this ends here. No more lives need to be wasted, just…surrender dammit!"

Samus was surprised. She didn't think Palmer cared all too much for the casualties, more that she wanted to get even. But still, Samus couldn't go back to the UNSC. She wouldn't. She'd rather die.

"Then I'm sorry."

A huge explosion rocked the arena. Above, one of the Pelicans came crashing down, engine aflame. Samus's ship soared past, bumping the other Pelican as it sped away. The Pelican veered, turning to deal with the new threat.

Samus used this distraction to get to Palmer. The Spartan was fast, but never as fast as she could be. Samus grabbed the gun, knee slamming into Palmer's gut. The Spartan grunted, her gun wrenched away. Samus spun, smashing he arm cannon into Palmer's visor. The blow would have caused a concussion, knocking the Spartan down.

Samus continued to spin, now facing the half dozen Spartans on her left. Cannon charged, she fired a Super Missile at the ground. The blow cracked the arena floor, sending the Spartans flying. Her suit took gunfire as the others opened fire on her. She turned, Wave Beam ready as she fired a continuous stream of electricity. The Spartans cried out as their suits began frying, shields vaporizing with the smell of ozone.

She ducked a swift kick, launching her shoulder into someone gut. She heard a grunt, before using her grapple beam to throw the Spartan away. Some of the others had recovered from their initial explosion and were now opening fire. Her shields continued to chip away at a steady pace. Nothing to worry about, yet.

With a roar that would make an Elite tremble she rushed them, shifting into her Morph ball. Swiveling left and right, she shifted back and sent a man flying with a kick. More shots from the Wave Beam crippled the others, the Spartans going down like the others. Several had seen what she'd done before, and had wearily hung back, continuing to fire. She changed to her Ice Beam, firing a charged shot. The blast hit the group, freezing them in their tracks.

She heard the sounds of a Pelican but whirled as a punch missed her head. Palmer growled, using he momentum to land a kick of her own. Samus was too slow to block, taking the blow on her chest. She skidded back, silently cursing. Her old suit would have been fine here, but this mutilated version was much weaker.

Palmer went for her handgun. Samus fired a charged Wave Beam, resulting in Palmer screaming and dropping to the ground. Samus stepped over to the fallen Spartan, cannon aimed loosely at her. She hesitated. All her attacks here had stopped her assailants, but did she want to push this further? Palmer squirmed under her, attempting to free herself.

" _This woman was going to kill you…"_ She thought to herself. A fire started burning in her chest. All of these people were trying to kill her, why on earth was she making this hard for herself.

She started charging up a shot of her Power Beam. From this range, and without defenses, it would cook Palmer alive. The Spartan seemed to sense what was happening, because she stopped struggling and simply looked up at Samus, her emotions hidden under her visor. Samus held the charge, still struggling with a decision when something hit the back of her head.

She cried out, the blow stronger than anything she'd felt in a while. Her charged shot fired into the air harmlessly, and she was sent sprawling. She managed to use her momentum to roll, coming to a skidded stop. Her head throbbing, she rose to her feet and saw her new opponents.

A Pelican had dropped off more Spartans. Looked like another near dozen, but she could tell immediately that something was off. Eight of them looked to be Spartan IV's, but the readings from their suits were strangely familiar. The technology was not similar to the UNSC, but more in line with her own suit. Seems ONI had managed to reverse engineer parts of her suits functions, which in itself was bad news.

But the remaining four Spartans were different still. Their armor was definitely UNSC, but much older, as if they refused upgrades. They stood at least a head taller and moved with a grace and unity the IV's lacked. She knew exactly what they were, she'd seen one in action time and time again. Knew how deadly, and efficient they could be, and that had been just one. They were Spartan II's. Just like he was.

Speaking of…

She didn't think her eyes could grow wider, but wider they grew. Standing amongst the group, he stood. His armor the same, his profile a direct match. He was here, after everything she'd been through, he was here. She let her guard down, she didn't even care anymore.

"…John?" She asked slowly, her voice more strained than usual.

The others all turned to look at him. He stood silent a moment, just as she remembered him. He seemed to be struggling for words of his own. Maybe he would help.

"Samus, please," John said quietly. "Surrender."

She felt a stab in her chest. She might have been shot for all she knew, but all she could think about was his words. Surrender? Surely he of all people understood.

"John, this isn't right. Why-"

"You betrayed the UNSC." He said, voice getting gruffer. "You didn't think we'd catch up with you?"

His words burned. Betray? He had bought into the same lies as the rest of them. She thought, surely John would know the truth, that after everything they'd been through she'd never do something so horrible, so heinous. And he had the gall to ask her to surrender.

" _Had he truly forgotten his promise? The Promise we made together?"_

Fire burned within her. Rage she hadn't felt in a long time welled up inside her. Her breathing grew louder, her fist clenching. Her vison grew red and hazy, the only sound she could hear was the blood in her ears. He was just like the rest. Just like the others. They all deserved to die…

He deserved to die.

She moved faster than anyone else, her actions a blur. She bought her cannon up, a charged Power Beam shot ready. She fired, giving no time to react. Her aim was dead on, the shot smashing into John's helmet, his shield fizzling out on contact. There was a loud crack, like glass, as he was knocked back. His golden visor now cracked, he remained on his back, unmoving.

Gunfire rained down on her. The remaining II's rushed her, while the rest had fanned out, all firing in co-ordination. Samus ducked a very fast punch and returned the favor. Her surprise was minimal when the Spartan caught it, his strength matching her own. She saw a name on his chest plate. FREDERIC – 104. She twisted, trying to move him over her hip. But he was much heavier. He used her momentum against her, throwing her over his shoulder. She hit the ground hard, more cracks appearing on the ground.

She saw Fred coming at her again, flipping onto her feet and firing her Wave Beam. He might be fast, but not that fast. The shock hit him dead on, her reward a grunt as he crumpled over. A fist nearly knocked her down again, but the blow was glancing. She spun, her visor locking onto another Spartan II. She fired the Wave Beam again, lightning sizzling toward its target. The Spartan sidestepped, rushing toward her faster than her eye could follow. A leg smashed into her face, knocking her onto her back.

The Spartan straddled her, a fierce wave of blows hammering down on her. Samus struggled to defend herself, but this Spartan was much too fast. She glimpsed another name. KELLY – 087. Samus thought quick, shifting into Morph Ball. Kelly threw a punch which missed, her fist now caught in the ground. Samus rolled out from under her, shifting and sending a knee to her face. Kelly was silent as the blow stuck, her hand coming free as she rolled away.

A big bang rang out as her shield lost a large chunk. She whirled, eyeing the third Spartan II. She held a large sniper rifle, and Samus knew she must be accurate if she was using in in close quarters. Another name, LINDA – 058 caught her eye. So all of them were John's old squad then…

She charged, her cannon shifting to her Ice Beam. Linda hit her again, the shot right on Samus's forehead. But Samus was on her now. Linda was fast, and powerful, but not as much as her team. Samus ducked a swipe, grabbing the sniper and tugging. Linda went for a shoulder barge, but Samus ducked back. With a vicious kick Linda hit the ground, a charged Ice Beam shot keeping her there. The ice was thick, and the Spartan stuck.

"Linda!" Came a cry. She barely turned before Kelly was on her again, fists and kicks flying.

Samus traded blows, hers connecting less than the Spartans, who was clearly the superior close quarters specialist. Samus darted back, the action surprising the Spartan. As quick as she could, Samus lunged, her arm wrapping around Kelly's throat. Her cannon fired, Wave Beam frying the shielding and equipment in her armor. Kelly grunted, a hard elbow knocking the wind out of Samus. Kelly turned to strike, but without her powered armor she was slower. Not terribly slower, but slow enough.

Samus swung her cannon in a quick arc, the weapon crashing into the Spartans helmet. Kelly went down, her movements a daze. She spun as Fred ran at her again. Another charge Ice beam shot stopped him in his tracks. His hand hovering just above his pistol, unable to grab it, he could only struggle.

Gunfire remained her that she wasn't finished yet. The II's were down, but these copycats were still shooting at her, and now they didn't have teammates in the way. Her shields were dipping dangerously low as she returned fire. Her Wave Beam had little effect, their shielding much stronger. Like her own. Despite how quick she moved, their aim was perfectly accurate, as if locking on. Just like her visor.

She darted into the middle of them, making them fire more carefully. Growing desperate, she did the only thing she could. With a mighty jump, she rose into the air, spinning so her head was aimed at the ground. The Spartans rose their weapons at her, but she wasn't aiming for them.

The ground had been cracking relentlessly the whole fight. Samus suspected it was hollow, and a distraction such as a lack of floor might give her the chance to pull out and escape. If she didn't end this or flee, she realized she would lose.

So she fired.

The missile exploded, knocking Spartans back. Those with upgrades held their ground and were ready for her when she landed. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and shake. The Spartans looked to one another, uncertain.

" _Good, now's your chance! Just make for an exit and-"_

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground gave way under her. Rather than a small distraction, her attack had caved half the arena floor in. She and the other Spartans were caught in it, and she realized she couldn't do anything.

Her stomach lurched as she began to fall, the Spartans crying out as they too fell. The cavern underneath was dark, too dark to make anything out clearly. She thought she saw Luminoth machinery, but she couldn't make it out clearly. Then she saw a shimmer. It covered the floor of this underground place, making the floor appear like a liquid. The image jogged her memory, and she realized what they'd fallen into. A Portal.

Her vison went black as she and the Spartans fell through, into the unknown.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, sorry for the irregular posting dates. I am definitely not dead, rest assured. Hope you all enjoy!**

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Chapter Two

The air seemed to whisper faintly around him, reminiscent of what he expected a ghost to sound like. Had he died? Maybe, yet the throbbing coming from his chest felt very much alive. Jameson Locke creaked his eyes open, pushing against the dry earth as he rose to his knees. The landscape came slowly into view, fuzzy at first. The trunks of dead alien tree's stood against a murky red sky, gusts of dust clouds around him. The sky lit up with flashes of lighting behind the thick clouds, illuminating the landscape further. There was no life here, wherever 'here' was. Even a distant river, purple in color, was stagnant.

A groan from behind. He turned to find his team face down in the dirt much like he had been. Edward Buck was the first to stand, still clutching his rifle as any professional soldier would. His ODST helmet cast light on the ground, his body language one of surprise and shock. The others, Holly Tanaka and Olympia Vale, did the same.

"Where…what is this place," Tanaka asked aloud, her voice jarring in the silent landscape.

Buck grumbled, checking over his gun. "Who knows, that portal could have sent us anywhere."

"We're still on Aether."

The other turned to look at him. Locke retrieved his own rifle from the dirt, placing it on his back. When no one asked for an explanation, he elaborated.

"The files provided to the UNSC by Samus Aran mentioned that Aether had a twin, a copy of the planet in another universe. Aran arrived as the native population was on the verge of extinction, and provided aid. Her report said she destroyed this place, but..."

"But obviously she didn't do her job properly," Buck growled, fingers tense on his weapon. The others reacted in a similar fashion, the mere mention of Samus enough to cause anger. Locke had his own thoughts about the Hunter, but this was not the time to tell his squad about them.

"How are we going to get back?" Vale asked, her words trembling ever so slightly. The Youngest of them, and possibly of all Spartan IV's, her inexperience showed.

Locke placed a hand on her shoulder. "We came here through a portal, we just have to find one back."

He looked to the others "Our orders still stand, Aran is the main target. But we need to secure an exit, as well as try to find the other squads. Ours wasn't the only one caught in the blast."

The sounds of guns clicking was his response. Satisfied, he led on. The clearing the Spartans had arrived in gave way to rocky passages and narrow gaps. His armor scrapped against the walls as they progressed, occasionally forced to duck under low hanging edges. His suit continued to give him information about the environment as they trudged, tactical displays and statistics flashing on his visor screen.

His armor, along with the rest of Osiris, was the latest in a surprisingly huge leap of technological advances. The shielding had been increased significantly without affecting power or charge up, as well as the materials used being both lighter and stronger than standard Mjolnir. A scanning device had been implemented, which provided the user with a constant feed of information around them, from ideal cover to enemy weak points and numbers. Currently, the scans were telling him about the atmosphere. The air here was toxic, to the point of death within minutes. Locke had known this already from Samus's reports, provided to him by ONI. But her reports had stated that the air had affected her armor and shields as well. To Locke, this suggested that whatever she had done to this place had killed it in more ways than one.

The radio suddenly crackled to life. He heard screams, loud enough to make him wince. In the commotion back at the Temple on Aether, he'd guessed other Spartans had fallen through the portal, same as Osiris. But he'd never heard Spartans make this kind of sound. It sent a shiver up his spine.

"This is Spartan Locke on all UNSC channels, respond." He tried, growing ever certain he wouldn't get an answer.

His response was radio silence, white noise filling his ears before that too went dead. He glanced back at Osiris, who had all heard the chilling sounds too. Clearly, something had happened to them, but what exactly he didn't know.

Samus was his first guess, but she hadn't elicited those kinds of responses before. Perhaps some kind of alien life? But this place was dead, a shadow of a shadow, how anything could survive here was beyond him. So, he decided to focus on practicality.

"Get ready," He muttered. Without needing to check on his team, he rounded a corner and entered a dusty clearing.

The clearing gave way to the angry red sky, a flash of lightning briefly illuminating the area. The ground was littered with some kind of black, oil-like substance. It was everywhere, sickly and seeming to ripple in response to their arrival. He saw several silhouettes, unmistakably Mjolnir in design. The Spartans were all down, either dead or beyond saving.

"Geezus…" Buck said, lowering his gun at the sight of the massacre. Tanaka followed suit, her body language more than enough to express her own horror.

Locke kept calm, he had too. As the commander of Osiris, he had to remain composed and set the example. He pulled up the VISR system and began a quick scan. His suit told him that all the bodies had died in a state of shock, implying that they hadn't been killed quickly. Further scans also revealed that an alien substance had been introduced to their bodies just before death. He stepped closer, peering down at one of the corpses without touching.

Sure enough, the Spartans armor was torn open. A gash on his arm and shoulder had been the entry point, an excessive amount of the oily liquid inside the opening. Locke tried to scan the substance but his VISR didn't seem to recognize it as anything. He frowned, stepping over to another body. Sure enough, another damaged suit. This one's visor had been smashed, his face forever hidden under a black slick.

"No one touch anything," He said, turning briefly back to his team.

"Hey man, no need to tell me twice." Buck said, stepping over a puddle.

"We need to move on, nothing we can do for these men." Locke continued. "We need to find a way back to-"

"Locke!"

He spun towards the sound of Vales voice. She was raising her gun, pointing it right at him. Or, something behind him.

His motion tracker a second too late to warn him, he felt something powerful grip his arms and pull. He grunted as he was tugged off his feet and thrown into the dirt. A wave of Black ooze surged over him, climbing up his legs like a living thing. Falling back on instinct, he retrieved his pistol from his holster and fired into the mass. He heard a screech, similar to the sounds on the radio. The ooze retracted, and he was able to pull free.

Around him the clearing had come alive. Puddles that had been still before were now sliding across the floor, rushing to climb onto them. Buck let out a grunt as a black mass latched onto his chest. Locke heard the sounds of metal whining. The thing was trying to crush Bucks armor, find a way inside. He drew a dagger and flung, hitting the blob in its center. It screeched, flinging itself away from the Spartan.

"A little warning next time!" Buck yelled, picking up his shotgun and firing into another blob.

The individual puddles changed tactics. They began absorbing into one another, forming larger blobs and linking up. It wasn't long before the darkness had them surrounded, linked up into a single large monstrosity. Locke ordered them to focus fire, hoping to create an opening in which to escape. But they might as well have been shooting water

Slowly but surely, the Black oil was pushing them closer together. It wasn't long before they were back to back, firing into a sea of darkness. Locke was beginning to run low on ammo, no expecting such a drawn out fight. He heard Tanaka click empty, wordlessly handing her his last clip without looking. He dropped his rifle and pulled out his magnum, firing into the mass around them. They fought well, an effective team with crossfire. But against such a foe, it wasn't enough.

The mass reared up around them, preparing to swallow them whole. Locke drew a grenade, thumb itching on the pin.

There was a sudden flash. The thing screamed louder than before, thrashing wildly. Blinding light began to pierce though it's oily body, cauterizing around the wounds entrances. Another flash, another hole. The Blob tried to retreat, but the damage was done. The sounds of searing flesh reached his ears, as the burning wounds widened.

With a final piercing cry, the creature split into smaller parts which than began slithering towards crevices and cracks within the rocky floor. Some made it, others were destroyed by the mystery weapon. Just as suddenly as the attack began, it was over. Osiris was left standing in the open, the corpses of other Spartans their only companions.

His team were full of questions, of which Vale voiced first. "What were those things?"

"What was that bright light?"

"How the heck are we still standing?"

Locke remained silent even though he'd figured out the majority of the answers. Those liquid creatures had been some sort of native lifeform to Dark Aether, perhaps related to the Parasites Samus had encountered here on her previous visit. Osiris should have been overwhelmed, their fire power no match for something so alien. But they still stood, which led him to the conclusion that someone had saved him. As for the pulses of light…

"You can come out, we won't shoot you. Not yet anyway."

His team looked confused a moment, but movement caught everyone's attention. Stepping out from behind a rocky pillar was a familiar silhouette, an armored human shape. The armor of course was very different to any Mjolnir variant, in particular the large cannon on one of the arms. Next they saw the bright green visor pierce through the murky darkness of this place.

As Locke watched her get closer, he realized that her armor was different from the multitude of photos and images he'd studied. It seemed more streamlined, form fitting. Gone was the bulky shoulder armor and interlocking metal plating. This armor looked like one solid piece, more alien than any of her previous appearances. He made a note to find out more if the opportunity presented itself.

Buck cocked his shotgun.

Samus halted, however the hand on her hip clearly showed she didn't feel threatened. "Why don't you put that down before someone gets hurt."

"Only person getting hurt will be you," Buck shot back. "If you think for one second-"

"Lower the gun Buck," Locke said, stepping forward.

Buck whirled, gun still raised. "Do I need to remind you what she's done? Not just to the UNSC but us just minutes ago?"

"She saved us Buck," Locke said patiently, though he kept his finger wrapped loosely around his own trigger. "Lower the weapon."

Samus however, didn't seem willing to let the statement slide. She stepped forward, earning more weapons pointed in her direction.

"Like those would save you," She said, standing before them unafraid. "I chose to rescue you because despite what you may have heard, I'm not all that bad."

"That remains to be seen," Locke grunted. However, he saw the wisdom in her words. They couldn't really do anything if she decided to attack them. They were low on ammo, and had no idea how to escape this place. Samus however, must have known a way.

He placed his rifle on his back, Tanaka and Vale following his lead. With hesitation, Buck lowered his shotgun, though kept it cradled in his arms. Samus simply nodded, hand coming off her hip. Locke noticed her look down at the ground, more specifically the remaining splotches of oily liquid. He cautiously approached her, coming to stand a distance behind her.

"Any idea what those things were?"

She snapped her head in his direction, almost as if he'd startled her. It was brief, but he definitely noticed. Maybe she wasn't as confidant as she appeared.

"I have a feeling…but it seems unlikely."

Locke waited quietly. With a faint scoff she relented, gesturing to one of the oily puddles.

"On my previous trip here I was confronted by a race or war like aliens called the Ing," She explained, green visor moving from Spartan to Spartan. "They possessed both living and inanimate things, and were close to winning a war when I arrived."

"Against the Luminoth," Locke said, pausing. "But the Ing needed Dark Aether's atmosphere to survive. How could they still be here?"

Samus was silent. With barely a sound she stalked up to him, her helmet a foot taller than his own. He knew she was tall, but this close it was startling. Similar to being face to face with a Spartan II. He heard someone clicking a weapon, but he discreetly waved a hand. No gunfire rang out.

"How do you know all that?" She asked him. Her voice was quiet. It didn't sound angry, but promised violence. "How could you? I never told a soul except-"

"One One Seven?" Locke finished. When she didn't respond, he continued. "Between your shared words and the data you gave to the UNSC, ONI compiled a database of all Ancient Human information, most of it from you. Recordings, surveillance footage and the like. And…"

"And?"

"And I was tasked with learning as much as I could, about you." He muttered. He felt her tense, was sure he was about to he hit. But the Hunter showed remarkable restraint, merely lowering her visor to peer into his.

"Why?" She near hissed, her voice soured with anger.

"Because we needed to capture you, and to do that…we needed to know as much as we could." Locke said, stepping back. Samus didn't move.

Locke continued. "This Fireteam, codenamed OSIRIS, was put together to track dangerous targets and either capture them, or take them down. We're equipped with various new technology, nothing other Spartans are currently carrying."

"I noticed," She near cut him off. Her posture returned to a more relaxed state, hand on hip. "Ever wonder where those upgrades came from? Seems awfully convenient that you would just 'get' powerful new tech."

Before Locke could respond, Buck spoke up again. "I don't like what your insinuating lady."

She didn't even pay him any attention, her visor glued to Locke's, waiting for his answer. Perhaps she could tell what he thought, though he had no idea how. One thing was certain, she was right. Their shields were stronger, armor tougher. Scan visors and various other bits of tech. All of which was very familiar…

"If what you're suggesting is true, that would mean your innocent then, is that what you're implying?" Locke countered, determined not to lose control. They needed her help, but they still had a job to do. Samus was the target, even if the circumstances seemed odd to him.

Vale scoffed behind him. "Oh please! We've all seen the video footage. Your explosive rampage though ONI's Sydney HQ. You didn't just kill soldiers, but innocent people."

Samus for once, hesitated. It took her a moment to speak. "I did...but not without cause. Look, it's complicated."

"Regardless, you're a criminal." Locke pointed out. "And as soon as you don't need us, you'll leave us."

Samus turned her head. "I don't think-"

"What will you do once you're out?" Locke pressed. "The UNSC will be waiting on the other side of the portal. Will you gun them all down too?"

"That's not fair," Samus growled. "Do you think I want too? No, you're all forcing my hand."

"But it doesn't have to be that way," Locke said quickly. "Come with us, surrender peacefully. You'll get a fair trial-"

"ONI will kill me before any trial takes place." Samus scoffed. "Or, do you think they're all good guys too?"

"No, I know ONI." Locke relented. "…We'll take you to Infinity. The Captain wouldn't dare let anything happen without speaking to you, and I know you two were close."

"…Tom?" She said, her voice breaking. He smiled under his visor, letting go of a breath he'd been holding. He had her.

"Captain Lasky will speak with you, I'll make sure of it." Locke affirmed. "Come with us, surrender peacefully, as we'll get to the bottom of this. One way, or another."

He could tell she was thinking it over, but short of gunning them down on the spot and leaving on her own, she didn't have many options. Of course, once they escaped this strange world things could go south very fast, but if his time with ONI taught him anything, it was to think on the fly. Plans never go as, well, planned.

"Alright," Samus began. "I'll go peacefully. But, if I so much as smell trouble I won't hesitate to blast my way through you all."

"Deal then," Locke said with a nod. He offered his hand, but Samus shoved past him. He ignored the gesture. "We need to get out of here, ASAP. Do you know of any exits?"

She nodded. "This place is a warped reflection of the grand temple you all shot up, so its layout is similar. I remember my last trip here, there was a portal right below the temple entrance. That's our best bet."

She began walking without looking back. Locke gestured for the team to fall in, retrieving his rifle from his back. He heard murmured talking behind him, but paid it no mind. They could talk all they wanted as long as they didn't take action from those words. He instead chose to focus on the woman in front of him, her sleek armored form as alien from behind as it was the front.

"Why is your armor so different?" Locke asked, chancing a question. Despite her being his target, he was genuinely curious. He'd been among many to be awed by the discovery of a living human from Forerunner times, as well as her strange technology. "It's usually much bulkier."

She glanced back at him, before looking ahead again. "You sound like a stalker, I bet the ladies just love you."

That got a laugh from Buck behind him, a genuine one. Locke thought that was the end of his probing, but moments later she talked again.

"If you must know, ONI did this to me," She said, staring ahead. "It's a long story, but they tore my suit apart in search of its secrets. What you're seeing me wear now is just its core components, it's damaged."

This all but confirmed Locke's theory, if she was telling the truth. "Our armor upgrades, yours?"

She didn't say anything, but she didn't have too. Her body tensed up, fist clenched. It made sense, all of their upgrades reminded him of things he'd heard the Chozo power suit could do, such as a scan visor and a much stronger shielding system. Of course, ONI would have improved on such things. His shielding charged as fast as any, while he knew for a fact Samus's took a longer cycle period. He was sure that wasn't the only thing ONI had iterated on…

"So you're saying ONI stole your armor?" Vale asked. "How could they even get it away from you, providing this is all true of course…"

"We're here." Samus said, her tone low.

Locke stepped up beside her. Indeed, the place was nearly identical to the arena that they had ambushed Samus in. However, there were some major differences. The floor of this place was mostly underwater, the color a rusty red to reflect the sky. A narrow, rocky path led to the other side. He saw the portal on the other side of the room, a tiny flicker of light in this dark place.

"Single file, move slowly or-" Samus began.

"Hey, I take orders from my commander, not you lady." Buck interrupted. He went to take a step onto the path…

Only for the ground to give under his foot. Locke grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back to safety. Buck hit the ground with a thud, swearing loudly as he landed on his back. Movement in the water caught his eye, a splash. When he looked, the water was still. This place was beginning to play tricks on him.

"Or else you'll fall in the acidic water and die," Samus concluded, petting Bucks head in a condescending manner.

Locke turned back to his team. "Alright, single file as she said. Buck take point, I want Samus next followed by Tanaka and Vale. I'll bring up the rear."

"Don't trust me?" Samus asked.

"No, but that's not the reason. You're our target, we're to bring you alive. I can't have you falling in and melting right away."

"…Well at least you're honest." Samus said, a light laugh following. She looked expectantly at the now standing Buck, who just groaned and advanced again, this time moving much slower.

Locke waited for the team to move before walking out himself. He checked over his shoulder for more of those shadow creatures, but nothing jumped out from behind. They seemed alone, yet Locke couldn't shake a feeling of eyes on him. He observed the team as they paced slowly over the crumbling land bridge. Locke swore he saw water move close by. He went to look, but the water was still. Then he heard a quiet splash.

"OSIRIS, we're not alone out here."

The water beside them erupted as a massive form flung itself toward them. Samus shouted as she shoved down Buck, the creature narrowly missing them both. Locke got a look at it as it splashed down on the other side. It was strange, bulbous. It reminded him of a creature from his Samus files, something she called a Chykra. But it was mutated, malformed. Living in this half world had turned it into even more of a monster.

"Move!" He ordered, all of them now racing across the bridge. The ground under him cracked and trembled as the added strain proved too much for the fragile ground.

Buck and Samus made it across, but the Chykka wasn't finished yet. This time it emerged and beached itself on the bridge like a sickly whale. It let out a cry, the sound piercing. Locke opened fire, as did Tanaka and Vale. Their shots pounced off its hide. It thrashed about, causing the bridge to break. It fell through back into the water.

Locke looked at the gap that blocked their escape. It wasn't too wide, definitely doable on solid ground. But the bridge had given up, the ground beneath them about to give way. Vale leapt first, landing with the others with Tanaka right behind her. Locke stumbled as the path beneath him crumpled and he felt his stomach rise as he fell. He spotted a chunk of land close by, floating on the water. A quick thrust saved his life, and he slammed onto his refuge.

He heard Osiris shouting from above. The creature had seen him fall, and was rapidly approaching his little island. It sunk beneath the water for a fleeting moment before propelling itself upward. It arced in the air, and Locke realized it was planning to crush him. He opened fire, but again his weapon proved ineffective. The monster let out a screech as it flew toward him.

He heard weapons fire. The creature cried out as a large explosion rocked its side. The blow pushed it off course, and it sailed into the water narrowly missing Locke's island. The wave created hit his arms, the shielding flickering. His HUD showed major damage, if he was knocked into the water it would be over. The creature emerged from the water's edge, rearing its head. Its mouth opened as a tongue shot out. Locke hit the ground just in time, the hideous appendage missing. Another explosion collided with its head. It screeched before whipping back under the surface.

"Head's up!"

Locke looked up as Samus Aran leapt down onto his island. She offered him a hand, which he took. "Thanks, though aren't we both stuck down here now?"

"This thing won't relent," Samus shot back, firing a shot into the water. The blast illuminated the creatures form underneath for a moment. We have to kill it. Or rather, I have to kill it."

Locke nodded, he knew he lacked the firepower to take out such a large monstrosity. He retrieved his rifle and stood with his back against her, giving them overlapping view. "It's been trying to push me off the land."

"Of course, a meals easier to catch when it's not able to move." Samus said. "Don't get knocked into the water, it's toxic."

"I'm aware." He shot back. The creature emerged with a large splash, tongue extended. He fired, this time hitting its appendage. This time his weapons had more effect, the gray liquid erupted from the bullet holes. Its body quacked as it sunk back down.

"it's tongue is vulnerable, less armored." He shouted, reloading his gun.

"Nice work!" Samus replied, firing another missile salvo into the murky water.

The arena became eerily quiet. Locke couldn't see their foe anywhere, and it seemed Samus couldn't locate it either. Was it trying a new tactic, or had it given up? Samus had said it wouldn't but perhaps they had gotten lucky. As he thought it, Locke immediately knew it wouldn't be so. He wasn't that lucky.

A massive splash caught their attention, the water near Samus raining down. It rolled off her armor, her shields flaring red in response. Locke heard another, and turned to find a pair of jaws encompassing his vision. He froze.

The monster had created a diversion, using the splash to launch its real attack. Locke went to move, but it had gotten too close. He saw the jaws begin to close around him. Suddenly, he felt a hand yank his shoulder. He was flung backward as Samus Aran stood in his place. He let out a cry, attempting to grab ahold of her as he passed. The monster grabbed her with its jaws before sailing back into the waters.

He hit the ground hard, but was immediately on his feet. He did a quick circle, but the waters had stilled. It was quiet again, but he knew it was out there. And Samus…

The water erupted some distance away. The creature emerged, thrashing in agony. Its mouth opened, and inside was Samus. Locke immediately noticed its tongue was wrapped around her, and her suit's shielding seemed to have failed. She however, was firing both down its gullet and at its tongue. Acid water lingered within its mouth, and Locke realized her armor was failing. It had sparks flying off it, and it was cracked in several areas.

If Locke did nothing, she would die. Chances were the monster was dead regardless, but Samus would have no escape. He considered his options. It didn't take him long to make a choice.

He leapt. His thrusters helped clear the distance, knife out as he plunged it into the things hide. Its flesh was rubbery and thick, and he nearly lost his grip. He stopped sliding just above the water, the waves splashing his leg and causing more damage to his shields. He clambered up with difficulty, his fingers struggling to find purchase on its wet skin.

He made it onto the monsters head before sliding down into its jaw. He held onto the tooth for support as he fired into the tongue, concentrating on the part wrapped around Samus. It screamed, the sound loud enough to make his ears ring momentarily after. Locke managed to do enough damage to the tongue, and Samus tore her way free. She fell to one knee, seemingly struggling to stand. Locke's own shield popped as more water hit him, and his armor began flaring warning after warning.

He knelt down and with one hand hoisted Samus up and over his shoulder. The other, held his last grenade. With a click, he primed it before lodging it between two of the monsters teeth. With very little time left, he turned and jumped, launching off a tooth as he aimed for the island. With a sinking feeling he realized that they were too heavy to make it, and instead began falling toward the water.

He felt the wind leave him as he was suddenly yanked. He looked at Samus, who had managed to fire her grapple at the remains of the bridge above. They swung, now above the little piece of land. Samus seemed to lose consciousness, and the grapple broke. They hit the ground hard, Locke losing his grip as they fell. He groaned as he slowly rose to a sitting position, Samus close by at the water's edge. He heard a roar as the monster began rapidly approaching. His grenade went off just before it reached them.

The explosion blinded him momentarily, his vision white. As it cleared, he saw the damage his explosive placement had done. Its lower jaw, as well as parts of its upper had shattered. Shards of bone and tooth had penetrated the upper part of its mouth and had burrowed though its skull. It hovered a moment, motionless, before it began to sink beneath the water one last time and eventually floating to the surface as a carcass.

He took a breath, not realizing he'd been holding his this whole time. His whole body ached, and he was sure he had suffered burns from the water. Rolling to his side, he was Samus had regained consciousness and was also sitting up, her gaze on their now dead foe.

"A little…over the top." She managed to say, her voice pained despite the humor.

He shrugged, inspecting his rifle to realize it was damaged beyond repair. He let it drop to the ground. "It was alright. Not the most outlandish thing I've done."

She chuckled, before making a pained noise and clutching her side. They sat in silence for a moment, neither one willing to move just yet.

"You didn't have to do that." She finally said, breaking the silence.

Locke looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

"You could have just let me die there, and it wouldn't have affected you at all." She elaborated. "You could have just let it happen, gone home and reported I was killed. Mission complete."

"We need you to get back."

"Bullshit." Samus scoffed. "You don't strike me as the dumb type, so don't act like it. You would have figured it out. I'm the enemy, your enemy. you're going to deliver me into the jaws of ONI. Why?"

Locke paused, her words striking him. "Do you want to die?"

She recoiled. "No, I-"

"I want to give you a fair chance, a chance for freedom. The right way." Locke interrupted, giving her a hard look. Of course, the helmets made that difficult. "You told me you aren't guilty, that there was more to the story than I knew. If you died here, than all the galaxy would remember you as is a traitor."

Samus sat in silence. Locke didn't know if she was actually listening or just mad, but he continued. He felt anger himself, at what exactly he wasn't sure.

"At first, I thought you would say anything to get free. But a guilty person would never throw themselves into the jaws of danger, literally. Especially for the one who's bringing her in. Which tells me, at least, that you're telling the truth. Why else save me from my fate?"

She didn't say anything, just stared at him. Her visor was dimmed, and he swore her eyes were visible. They looked sad, and ancient. Locke retuned her gaze, thankful his own expression was hidden. Samus's eyes flickered slightly, and without a word she collapsed to the ground. Locke sighed.

" _I guess I'll get my answer another time…"_

* * *

"Locke!" Buck exclaimed, Osiris rushing to his side.

Carrying Samus and getting back up to the portal platform had been no small undertaking, but he'd managed. She remained unconscious, her head drooped against his shoulder.

"The target secure. I'll get the portal operational, then we can get out of this hellscape."

Tanaka gave him a look. "Locke, everything alright? That looked intense down there."

"We're alive, aren't we?" He replied simply. He left Samus with the rest of the team, making his way to the portal device.

It was utterly alien, and he wouldn't have known where to begin if it hadn't been for the files ONI had sent him. He'd studied them for an extensive period, every video and every document. One such video had been a recording from Samus's helm during her time on Aether. She'd used an electronic interface to activate the device, one Locke was sure he could use too.

It only took a quick scan from his VISR before the portal whirled to life. It's bright, white light contrasted the dark and eerie landscape around them sharply. Tanaka and Vale went first with Buck following. Locke retrieved Samus's body before entering the portal himself. The feeling made him nauseous, just like last time. His vision warped and twisted, and he felt like his body was both being crushed and pulled apart all at once.

Suddenly his vision cleared. Osiris were back in the arena on Aether, with the full might of the UNSC waiting to greet them. Spartan teams stood waiting inside the ruined temple, including the only Spartan II team on the Infinity, Blue team. Locke spotted 117, his helm visor still cracked. All guns were trained on Locke, or rather on the target he was carrying.

Spartan Commander Palmer came to stand before them, giving them all a curt look before her gaze finally fell on Samus. She have a brief, approving smile. "Well done Osiris."

She turned to the rest of the Spartans, as well as regular soldiers. "Alright, target secured. Let's pack up."

Samus mumbled into his shoulder, talking in her state of sleep. Palmer glanced back, before her gaze fell on Locke.

"Come on Osiris, time to head home."


End file.
